Find Your Way Back
by herbrightblueeyes
Summary: "He could have lost this. He could have continued living a very different life halfway around the world not knowing he could have this - a family, a happy and healthy one so unlike the one he grew up in. And it makes him feel grateful that he decided to go back here and go through everything else that followed." A Fourtris AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Instead of working on my "Legend" fic, which has been stuck for 2 months already, I have this. I can't make any promises regarding posting schedules since work continues to drag me around but I will try to update once a week. Note the "I will try" part there.

As usual, reviews make me happy. =) You can also drop-by Tumblr - herbrightoceaneyes.

* * *

Tobias stops for a while to wipe sweat away from his face. The swing set is almost done. Maggie had been bugging him and Tris to have one installed in their backyard for the last two months. It's just now that they finally caved in to her wishes. It's her birthday tomorrow after all. She's turning five.

"Dad, come on!" his daughter tugs on the hem of his shirt before running back to her mother. He watches them for a while - Tris is holding up one stick of the homemade bubble maker while Maggie has the other as they run around the yard filling it with suds and that clean detergent smell. Both of them look so happy, and just seeing that makes him happy, too.

There are still a lot of things he's uncertain about - being a father, a husband, having a family - but he knows that whatever happens Tris will be there and they'll make it through.

Tris sees him watching them. She crouches down and beckons Maggie to lean in so she could whisper something to her. Both of them look up at him with mischievous grins when they finish their silent exchange and he only had a few seconds to react before they run towards him, enclosing him in a huge bubble. The bubble bursts immediately but all three of them laugh at the surprise attack.

He could have lost this. He could have continued living a very different life halfway around the world not knowing he could have this - a family, a happy and healthy one so unlike the one he grew up in. And it makes him feel grateful that he decided to go back here and go through everything else that followed.

If he's given another chance to choose, he'd still choose this; choose Tris and Maggie. He will choose them over and over again.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**: At end

* * *

The gentle sound of water cresting and falling fills the air. Tobias could imagine it, the water hitting the sandy shores just before finding its way back home into the ocean. Combined with the cool breeze and the quiet night, it is utterly peaceful.

It's a stark contrast to Tobias' inner thoughts.

In two weeks, he'll have to start over again – leave Singapore and the comfortable life he had made for himself there, and go back to his home country to start at a new job albeit a promising one. He feels that he is making the right decision but somehow the uncertainty of it all, the thought of going back and facing the things and people from his past is enough to make Tobias nervous. He left America for a reason, after all.

His mind immediately conjures up Marcus' face, the uninvited memories of his childhood and most of his teen-aged life quickly follows. He'd spent many unsuccessful years trying to forget him and all the things he had done. Marcus had fucked up his life but still he cannot completely severe the tie connecting him to his father. He hates using that word for him. Marcus doesn't deserve that title because no father would ever intentionally hurt his child.

Then there's Tris.

Ever since he'd finalized his plans and said yes to his prospective employer's offer, he found himself thinking about her more. He had always thought about her every single day after he left Chicago, even if he's already with Nita. Tobias isn't sure if that counts for cheating but if it does then he is as guilty as the next man in death row.

His relationship with Tris didn't exactly end in a good note. Heck! They didn't even formally break up, but who needs that? Tobias is pretty sure Tris hates him. He left her behind without even telling her. Tobias wonders how she's doing, last he'd heard was she's already a mother and had moved for good to Washington. It was an obvious choice since she, Christina and Will already have places there studying at University of Washington. That was all Zeke could glean out from Uriah. His best friend's brother had always been Tris' friend, of course his loyalty is with her, which leads him to think that she might have told Uriah to not tell Zeke anything knowing full well that the older Pedrad sibling will tell Tobias. Just more proof that Tris does not want to have anything to do… that she's through with him.

Wherever she is and whatever she's doing though Tobias hopes she's fine. No matter what happens there will always be a piece of him that cares for her. Tris will forever be an important part of his life even if he won't ever have her back.

The door opens and closes disrupting Tobias' silent soliloquy. It could only be Nita. Soon enough she stands behind his chair. This is their vacation but they haven't spoken much nor have they spent a lot of time together in the three days they've been here. If he knew she only brought him to this place to try to talk him out of his plans, he wouldn't have come. Boracay is nice though. It puts Singapore's man-made beaches to shame.

"Are you sure?" Nita asks him massaging his shoulders. "I mean about going back to the States. Wouldn't it be tough?" Her hands move to play with his hair. They've been through this, talked about his recent resignation at ST Electronics and his impending move to Seattle. But of course Nita will still try to change his mind and make him stay with her in Singapore. Tobias had been trying to understand her, maybe all she wants is for them to stay together after all long distance relationships, according to the demographics, more often than not do not work; maybe she just doesn't want to lose him. But he also can't help thinking that she is being too self-serving, selfish.

"It would be tough, yes," he uses the same leveled voice he reserves for hard-to-teach subordinates, "but I have a job waiting for me there, Nita, and the offer's pretty good." He waits for a response but all he gets from her is an exasperated sigh loaded with all the words she doesn't say. Nita doesn't want to understand, no matter how much he explains himself to her she won't because she'd already made up her mind about this.

Well, too bad for her because he'd already made his decision and he won't be deterred. Tobias is really getting tired of dealing with the same things from her over and over again. He feels like a broken record jumping and repeating the same words, the same tune.

He wouldn't have this problem with Tris. She would even push him to chase all the open opportunities that will advance his career, Tobias thinks. When they were still together, Tris had always been his biggest supporter encouraging him to do better every time; she's happy with his successes and comforts him when things don't quite work out unlike Nita who, for the sake of keeping him near, had limited his options. Tobias knows very well that it is unfair to compare them but he can't stop himself especially with the way his current girlfriend has been acting the past few months.

"I am being offered something ST cannot give me. That's a once in a lifetime chance. I would be a fool to decline it," he tells Nita frustration evident in his tone. Tobias wants to tell her to stop being narrow-minded, stop making everything about her. He has a life outside their relationship, too, just like her. He lets her go out, work long hours, basically, do anything she wants whenever she wants; why can't she do that for him?

It wasn't always like this. Actually, it was good, very good when they started. Tobias met Nita a year ago at some party one of his colleagues threw. She's pretty and she knew it; everything she did showed it – the confident manner she held herself, the way she so self-assuredly went around the room and started conversations with the other guests including him. Nita approached Tobias from where he was drinking alone at the bar and started talking about the whole distilling process his brandy went through before it got into the bottle and then into his glass. She asked for his number before he left the party and he gave it, he was single anyway. The next day she called him, the week after that they had their first date.

Things progressed quickly. Nita had always been straightforward especially when it comes to getting what she wants, and she wanted him. Tobias, on the other hand, wanted something to make him forget about Tris, someone to help him move forward. It's been more than three years. Tris could still be with the father of her child for all he knows. Hell! She could even be married, happily married. Those reasons were more than enough to justify giving a pretty girl his number but still he had to convince himself that he was doing nothing wrong.

Obviously Nita failed to do that – make him forget but for a while he thought she could.

The first few months were good. Nita was showy and outspoken about her affection for him like she was proud of having him. It was something he never had growing up. The physical aspect of their relationship was also good. Nita was certain of her body in a way Tris wasn't. She knew how it worked; knew as well what would feel pleasurable for him. He can't say it was better with Nita though because somehow it always felt lacking like something was missing, and they just can't quite find it. But it was enough to take his mind off his old love even for a bit.

"Baby," Nita starts, voice trying for sweetness but he cuts her off.

"You know Nita this is getting real old," he stands abruptly from his seat, the chair's legs making a sharp sound as it scrapes the floor. He looks at her and sees the fake look of shock painted on her face. It makes him even angrier. "I'm tired of dealing with your selfishness," he doesn't shout but he punctuates each word, emphasizing them, they might as well have been made of jagged glass.

Tobias leaves Nita out in the balcony as he walks into the room going over the bedside table. He checks his phone for new messages, emails or calls. There's one from Zeke asking him what time his flight to Chicago will land. Tobias wanted to visit his old friends in his home city before going to Seattle and his best friend volunteered to pick him up at the airport.

Tobias was just beginning to type his reply when Nita's arms circle his waist. "I'm sorry," she says against the back of his neck. "I understand you're doing this for your career," she kisses the skin behind his ear, "but I just don't want us to be away from each other."

He took his time replying to Zeke's message; Tobias even checked his email's inbox before turning around to look at Nita. She was immediately upon him, peppering his face with kisses before pushing him down to the bed. She straddled his legs then lowers her lips down to his neck as her hands work to unbutton his shirt. This has always been her way of making it up to him every time they fight. Normally, it is enough to placate his mood even for a while. It would be easy to give in, let his more primal urges take over his logic. But not tonight, no, not tonight.

He stops her hands from completing their work on his top. "Stop."

"Don't you want to?"

"Get off me."

Nita does and she stands up from the bed putting more distance between them. She runs a hand through her long black hair and he knows she's just as furious as he is now.

"I already said I'm sorry, right?" she screams, "and I understand. What more do you want me to do?"

Her anger only sets him off even more. "Understand?" Tobias lets out a disbelieving laugh. _Could she hear herself?_ He sarcastically asks himself. "You don't understand a thing because all you care about is yourself," he gets up from the bed, walks over the cabinet and forcefully yanks its doors open. "You are so self-absorbed," he grabs his bag from where it is leaning against the wall and almost ruins the zipper opening it. Tobias starts pulling clothes, stuffing them carelessly into his luggage. He stops momentarily and whirls around to look at Nita. "Your ego is probably bigger than mine." He goes back to work, packing the last of his things. His passport and other travel documents are already inside since he never took those out. Tobias pulls the zipper closed with finality.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nita grabs his arm when he goes over the bedside table to get his phone. He shakes her hands off.

"Away from you," he spits the words out.

"You are unbelievable, Tobias!" she says frustration and anger mixing together.

"Yeah, and so are you." He slams the door closed and quickly jumps into the empty elevator. The other guests would probably complain about them. He can't bring himself to care. He just wants out.

Tobias breathes in deeply to steady himself. He looks at his watch; it's already one in the morning. Great! He'll have to call the airline and see if they have any available flights leaving for Singapore before noon. He'll just go back, pack his things and re-book his Chicago-bound tickets. He has to call Zeke as well, tell him he'll be home earlier than planned. For now though, he needs to find a place to stay the night in. Hopefully the hotel will allow him to check-in to another room. If they don't, he'll just have to wait it out, wait for the sun to rise and for the boats that'll take him to the mainland. All those are manageable.

_I'm done with her_, Tobias tells himself still seething as he gets off the elevator_. I'm ready to leave her and everything else behind._

* * *

So, some things: (1) ST Engineering is a real company in Singapore; (2) Boracay is in the Philippines; (3) I was supposed to make Tobias give into Nita but, well, he didn't want to do that obviously and (4) I'm on Tumblr - herbrightoceaneyes.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I'm sorry this took a while. I've been down with the flu. Anyway, here's hoping I get to post on time next week. Again, thank you for the follows and reviews. I've changed the rating from M to T because I'm not yet sure about some things but be warned because I may bring it back up to M.

Also, I know that the event is purely consumerism-driven and it is cliche but you guys are special so HAPPY VALENTINES! That's about how sappy I could get about this day.

Please let me know what you think about this fic. I'm on Tumblr - herbrightoceaneyes

* * *

Mid-afternoon light filters through the abundant windows of Maggie's room. It is bright and pleasantly warm making Tris' little girl's room look livelier with its painted birds flying up towards the smiling sun and cottony clouds, and its willowy tress with leaves swaying, dancing to some imaginary wind. Tori, the tattoo artist she and Christina befriended while they were still both at the university, did it as a gift to her and her then unborn child. It's lovely work and it seems to be inspiring the little artist in Margaret as well. She'd been drawing – doodling and coloring really – a lot lately and she proudly tapes her artworks onto her room's walls insisting that it is her own museum. Tris could only encourage her more by buying art materials and coloring books. She even scans her daughter's works so she could email them to her parents who are just as proud of Maggie as she is.

The sound of splashing water and her daughter giggling across the hall where the bathroom is brings Tris' thoughts back to the task at hand – packing their overnight bag. "Honey, stop playing," she reminds her, "the water will run cold." Their quiet apartment makes her voice sound louder than it really is, another reminder of what this afternoon is really about. Christina has set her up again on a date with one of Will's classmates at med school. The idea was Tris will drop off Maggie at Christina's then she'll meet Al, the guy's name is as she recalls, at the movies. Tris didn't want to go out but knowing her best friend, she can't really escape this trap. She plans on ditching him as soon as she gets the chance intent on going back to her baby and spending the rest of the day with her and Christina munching on popcorn while watching Disney movies.

"But Mr. Duckie and I are still swimming," Maggie whines.

"You can bring Mr. Duckie along," Tris smiles at how silly she sounds - a grown-up talking about bath toys as if they're alive. "Maybe Auntie Christina will allow both of you to continue your swimming time in their house."

"Okay," is all she gets in answer.

Tris went from giving Maggie baths from when she was a baby to just helping her bathe but lately even that she won't let her do. Her surly four-year old would pout and huff and refuse to cooperate every time she would try so she finally relented. _It comes with her age, _her own mother, Natalie, often reassured her, _It's her way of asserting herself. _Tris knows she's right, it was something she studied having finished Early Childhood and Family Studies after all. But at the back of her mind, she can't help but think it could be something more – that it is from somewhere else.

Maggie is more mulish and independent –precocious was the word her brother, Caleb, had used - compared to other kids her age. She wouldn't do anything she doesn't want to do. It reminds her too much of her father, a trait Christina had always pointed out as him being too headstrong beyond what is reasonable but Tris had always defended reasoning that he's uncompromising and that he just knows what he wants and what he doesn't. It leads Tris to wonder if it is possible for Maggie to get her stubbornness, and probably her temper, too, from her father even without ever knowing him, even without seeing him not even in pictures.

Tobias doesn't know about Margaret; doesn't know that she's his. Actually, only a handful of people know. Christina and Uriah said it doesn't really matter because in time it would be too obvious. Sure enough they were proven right. It didn't take Will long to figure it out, neither did her parents and brother although Tris suspected her mother knew right from the start. She's too perceptive and it's almost impossible to hide anything from her. Soon it won't be just them, Tris knows. Other people will take notice and see the resemblance she knows is imprinted on her daughter's face, little pieces of the man she used to love – or still loves, she's not sure - she just can't deny or hide no matter how hard she try.

Tris had always seen Tobias in Maggie. She sees him in her dark hair, in the set and shape of her mouth – spare upper lip, full lower. She sees him in the way Maggie looks when she's concentrating on something with her brows furrowed and lips puckered a bit. She's tall for her age so she must have gotten that from him, too, thankfully. Her eyes though combine her own blue with his – greyish blue pupils rimmed by thoughtful dark blue hue. It's an interesting combination, Tris thinks, but it's also such a give-away.

Four months after she gave birth, Tris decided to stay in Washington for good. She still knows the truth about Maggie won't stay secret but she'll keep it as long as she could. She can't go back to their city. There's just too much of him there to remind her. Tris wanted a fresh start.

Tris laid down a pair of jeans and two of Maggie's favorite shirts to give her options. It's another one of her most recent toddler-related quirks, she loves making decisions for herself. Just then her daughter pads into the room in her fuzzy bathrobe and her hair wrapped up in a towel no doubt imitating her. Tris couldn't help but laugh

"Why are you laughing, Mommy?" her daughter asks confused.

Tris sits down at the edge of Maggie's small bed and reaches out for her. "Why do you have your hair up like this?" she asks amused while taking the loosely wrapped towel from her little girl's head. She starts toweling excess water from her dark wavy locks.

"You wrap up your hair like this," Maggie answers with a pout.

"Yes I do but I squeeze out water from it first," Tris states laughing again. She holds up the two shirts she'd laid down minutes ago. "Yellow or red?" Margaret picks the yellow shirt. "I'll just clean the bathroom a bit, alright?" Her daughter nods.

For all her insisting that she doesn't need help, Maggie still needs her mother to clean after her. Tris unplugs the tub and quickly dries the bathroom floor and the trail of water leading to her daughter's room. Maggie's already dressed when she comes back. She's struggling with her shoes though.

"Mommy, can you show me again how to tie my laces?"

"You just loop the top one over the other lace." This is something a father would teach his child. Tris could imagine Tobias in her place giving their daughter instructions and demonstrating them. She shakes her head a couple of times to make the thought go away. "Then you do it again only like you're tying a ribbon." Maggie mirrors her, tying the laces of her of left shoe smiling when she does it right. She then runs to her small drawing table and retrieves her newest coloring book and a box of crayons. Tris takes them putting the materials inside their overnight bag. It's things like these that make her think what it would be like without Maggie; how different her life would be if she didn't know about having a daughter, really all she's doing is imagining herself in Tobias' place. She does this time and again, the whole exercise making her feel guilty each time. Tris knows it's unfair not just for Tobias but also for Maggie; for Christina and Uriah as well.

Uriah. Uri. He may be the kind of guy whose words some people may not take seriously because of his happy-go-lucky-I-am-the-comedian personality. But when he does get serious, he makes a lot of sense. He'd often told Tris that he felt wrong not telling Tobias about their daughter. "And it's not because he'd become sort of like an older brother to me," Uriah had once explained. "Though that's also a factor but Tris, you're taking away his choice and you're taking away Maggie's chance of growing up with a father. That's tough. I should know." He added, too, that Tobias would have come back for her – for both of them. Tris almost changed her mind. At that time Tobias still asked about her and the most obvious resource person he had in hand is Zeke because Tris changed numbers and had not been replying to his email messages. The older Pedrad sibling in turn asks his younger brother for answers. She wasn't angry anymore but she was still bitter so Tris asked Uri to hold off on talking about her and her baby with Zeke something her friend acquiesce to but not willingly. "I will not tell them anything fine," he told her exasperated, "but if any one of them finds out, I won't deny it either."

Tris could only hope it doesn't come to that.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N** : There's a really long one at the end. =)

* * *

Air travel combines Tobias' two greatest fears - heights and confinement. He hates it. He would have done anything to avoid it but since you really can't walk or swim your way to North America from Southeast Asia, Tobias has no other choice but to push down those fears and get on that damned plane. _I'd sleep it away_, he told himself and he holds onto that thought for a good couple hours but the reassurance that dreams and unconsciousness has to offer completely disappears as soon as he takes his seat next to a middle-aged Korean woman and her son. The boy looks about five years old and, as kids his age usually are, is brimming with boundless energy he just can't contain. Tobias has no problem with that. He'd been a boy, too, at some point and he's sure he would have behaved similarly if only he had a different father, one who allowed his son to actually be a kid and not some little adult. He's guessing that's exactly the reason why the boy's mother bothered him. She reminds him of childhood punishments and scoldings.

Tobias doesn't even understand half of what the Korean woman said during the first three hours of their flight but with the tone of her voice - terse, pitchy and sharp - combined with the pinches and hand slaps she gives her son, he is sure it isn't nice. He has to consciously stop himself from wincing every time he hears the boy's muffled cries of pain. The other passengers have also noticed the pair, turning their heads toward where they are seated. He waits, feeling out their reaction but no one says or does anything to help the boy. Tobias wonders if the same thing would have happened to him if other people knew about Marcus. Would they have helped him? Call on the right authorities? Or would they just stare, shake their heads and make up some reason in their minds to justify this kind of discipline from a parent to his child? Reasons that run along the lines of _It's his son. He deals with him the way he thinks he should_, or _He knows what he's doing_.

"_Babo sonyeon!_" The woman all but screams when the boy spills his orange juice on her pants. That sharp reprimand, which Tobias understood roughly to mean stupid boy from what little Korean a few of his former colleagues were able to teach him, came with a slap to the back of the boy's head, the impact of which was enough to force the child to brace himself against the back of the seat in front of him. The woman raises her hand again ready to give her son another smack to whatever body part is nearest to her. Without realizing it, Tobias held out his own arm shielding the boy against the blow so the woman hits him instead.

"Ma'am, you're hurting him," he tells the boy's mother. From his periphery, Tobias could see a flight attendant in the aisle walking towards them. "You could talk to him. He'll understand you." Other heads turn to look at them again, faces concerned.

"He won't because he stupid," the woman answers defiantly in broken English. " And you have no right to tell me what I do."

"Maybe I don't, but you are hurting him and even being his mother doesn't give you that right," he says, his voice level though he knows it won't take much to push him from controlled anger to a full-blown one. Thankfully, the stewardess finally reaches them before that happens. "I'd take it from here, sir," she addresses him smiling before turning to the older woman. Tobias takes that chance to check on the boy, raising one thumb in that universal gesture for 'okay' to ask him if he's alright. The boy nods, even gives him a small smile then mouths 'thank you' in response while the women's voices drone on in their background. The attendant's doesn't rise beyond the normal cadence of the language she shares with the boy and her mother but it is firm and resolute that the other woman didn't even have a chance to sneak in any of her arguments during the whole conversation. She speaks briefly with the boy afterwards and thanks Tobias again before strutting back to the front rows asking passengers if they need anything as she goes.

The rest of the flight going to Tokyo went on smoothly. Tobias just had to ignore the icy glares the boy's mother throws him. He really doesn't have to prove his point because she knows she's defeated. When she eventually fell asleep, Tobias and the boy even played a couple of levels of Cut the Rope on his iPad, which was actually fun considering the game occasionally frustrated him the few times he played it before. The kid seems nice, well-behaved and smart; surely those are things any parent would want people, especially strangers, to say about their child so he wonders how the woman could even think about hurting the boy. He knows being a parent is a tough job full of responsibilities and that kids could sometimes really test your limits, but does that really warrant hits and slaps and smacks?

Tobias knows what his father's answer is, and it stirs dread in the darkest corners of his heart.

It is another fear, one that is deeply rooted into his being. Where other boys grew up idolizing and wanting to be like their fathers, Tobias wanted nothing more but to erase all of Marcus on him. He told himself - swore - that he'd never do what he or his mother, for that matter because she's another case, had done wrong. He has a long list, a mental catalog starting from when he was a child. And so, everything he'd done, all his decisions and choices, he'd done purposefully to move away from their shadows.

But for the last couple of years, he'd been doubting himself. Is he really any different from Marcus and Evelyn when all three of them had done similar things? He answered his father's violence with his own, almost killing him that only time he fought back. And what had he done after? Run away like a coward; flee - escape - like his mother then make excuses to justify his actions all the while hurting the people who actually care for him. It's how he lost Tris and, eventhough he didn't say anything about it, he knows what he'd done had disappointed Zeke, but at least he's still around his sphere.

Tobias' two other connecting flights weren't as eventful as the first. He was seated next to a teen-aged girl who he thinks must have actually finished two books while they flew from Tokyo to Minneapolis. He got to sleep a lot in that flight. He wasn't so lucky in the next one though as his seatmate, a businessman from the looks of him, yapped on his cell throughout the whole ride, and so by the time the plane landed at their destination Tobias is irritated and ready to pass out. He's only vaguely aware of his when and where as he gets his bags from baggage claim. If time travel isn't just a thing from sci-fi novels and films, it would feel like this Tobias is sure, like you've been sucked in from one dimension to another without even a second's warning. He feels like he'd left his spirit somewhere and he's all queasy. All in all, it isn't nice.

He spots Zeke the same time his friend sees him, and he's grateful he didn't have to look for long.

"I shouldn't ask you about your flight, huh?" Zeke grins. Sometimes he still wonders how his friend stands to be around him, or why and how they're even friends. He still thinks he doesn't deserve his friendship and loyalty sometimes. Zeke's almost his opposite, the bright sunshine to his sullen rain clouds. Sometimes he can be too sunny though, but right now he appreciates it.

"I look that bad?" Tobias smirks but Zeke ignores him and just gives a nod in response. "I'm just really tired, I guess," he runs a hand through his hair and makes a mental note to shower before he rests. "Almost 30 hours in a damned plane could do that to you. Where's the old gang? Shauna? Lauren?"

"Expecting a welcoming committee, aren't we?" Zeke teases. "They're both stuck at work. They'll drop-by later, maybe have a few drinks to welcome you back, but 'til then you're stuck with me and mom." Zeke stops for a while feeling his pockets probably for his keys. He lets out an 'aha' when he finds them.

"I have stuff for you guys but that's coming maybe a week or two from now. Had to box it," Tobias tells his friend who opens the trunk so he could put his luggage inside.

"That's alright, man." Zeke closes the trunk with a thump then puts both of his hands on either of Tobias' shoulders. Looking into his eyes with mock seriousness, he says, "What's important is you're here now." Tobias knows he means it but he's also sure his friend is playing the whole thing. He never knew just how much he missed this easy banter until now. Tobias laughs, Zeke joins him.

"Cheesy?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well, mom's certainly excited about you coming home. She almost threw you a homecoming slash you-got-a-new-job party. Only reason she held off was because of my warnings about you not wanting to make a big deal out of all these," Zeke smiles. Hana Pedrad had been sort of like Tobias' second mother. When Marcus threw him out of their house halfway thru senior high, she took him in and treated him like he was her own.

"Thanks for saving me," Tobias says with a laugh as he gets on the passenger side.

"That's what I do, all part of my job." Zeke starts backing the car out. "You wanna get something to eat? Drive thru?"

"Nah, I miss Hana's cooking. Might fall asleep though right after so I'm already saying sorry in advance."

"You look like you're about to drop any time so I wouldn't be surprised." Zeke smirks before he continues, "We'll chat once you're rested."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow. "And have a pajama party where we tell each other our secrets."

At this, both of them laugh making Tobias think that things will be fine this time, that going back is the right choice. If only he could face his father again.

* * *

"So, tell me about your date with Al," Christina asks. For most people, her questions may be too invasive, crossing lines of privacy but to Tris it's nothing but usual. She'd known her best friend since second grade when she transferred from St. Louis with her mom and younger sister; her dad had just recently passed. Tris offered her the empty seat next to her. They've been inseparable since.

"What did you guys watch? Did he take you somewhere else, you know, to eat?" Yes, this isn't anything unusual but sometimes Tris wishes her best friend would just hold some of her questions in. Still, Christina's interrogation made her think of the movie date, if you could really call it that. Frankly, it was more like she accompanied Al to the movies. She didn't even pay attention to the action flick they've seen even though she was the one who picked it. She only did so anyway because Al couldn't choose anything from the four movies showing that week. It turned her off.

He invited her to eat at the new Italian place near the theaters after the movie but she declined, telling him about some school stuff she needed to prepare. It was a lie of course. Tris had prepared everything she needed today last Saturday. It was an excuse, one she knows he can't contradict, so she could get back at Christina's earlier and spend the rest of the day with her daughter. If she'd be honest to herself, too, she just wasn't interested in him. Sure, Al seemed nice but there's just nothing there, not even a tiny bit of attraction. Tris couldn't even see herself out with him again.

She could tell Christina this but she knows she'd berate her again for it. She could almost hear her, _You didn't even give him a chance _and _At least you should have tried to enjoy your time out, _and it's enough to tire her. She doesn't want that conversation, not this early in the day.

"Are you still there?"

Tris sighs gustily, "Don't you have to sleep? You've got work tonight, right?"

"Oh, what's a few minutes with you on the phone?" Christina laughs a bit. "And I know you enough to tell that you're evading my questions," she adds matter-of-factly.

"Must you really know?" Tris asks frustration starting to seep into her voice.

"Yes, every single detail!"

Christina's always like this after every date she'd set her up in. Tris is sure if Maggie wasn't there last night with them, she would have grilled her right there and then.

Tris gathers the animal cut-outs she'll be using in her class today. _Was it good?_ She asks herself. She knows it wasn't, but it wasn't bad either. It was just really awkward more from her end. She hadn't gone out with anyone for six months, would not have still if only Chris didn't pester her. "It was okay, I guess," she answers finally.

"Just that? Okay? Come on Tris, there's a thousand adjectives you could use that are better than okay," her best friend needles her.

"We watched this action movie, the one with Aaron Paul. Then I told him I needed to get back at your place because Maggie's waiting for me." Tris is sure if Christina were here she'd call her out for that half-truth. "Hey, I need to go. Maggie and I would be late for class."

"It was that bad, huh?" The other girl on the line sighs. "I thought it went well because Al's already asking if you'd want to go out again and you wouldn't really ask someone out for a second date if the first wasn't at least good."

"He can't ask me out himself?" Tris' lips turn up slightly for a smirk.

"You could be a little intimidating," Christina tells her. She knows she could, sometimes, but really if Al couldn't even ask her himself, what does that make him? "What will I tell him?"

"Well, don't answer for me," Tris huffs a bit annoyed. "Besides, the whole date was your idea. I didn't want to go but you pushed me." They've gone through this topic time and again with Christina telling her she has to move on and that she can't be alone forever, and her defending herself by answering that she doesn't need a man in her life to help her take care of her daughter; that all she needs is Maggie, to focus on her and all her needs; that she had moved forward, though she isn't fully sure about that one yet. Truth be told, sometimes she still misses Tobias, still wishes he were with her.

"You know, Maggie asked about her father." It was enough to stop all of her other thoughts. It wasn't what she was expecting Christina to say and if she's aiming to get her full attention then she won out. "You hadn't told her anything yet, had you?"

Needing to stay steady, Tris sits down on her bed. She didn't even notice Maggie come into her room until she starts tugging on her pant leg. "Mommy, let's go."

"Yeah...yeah, wait for me in your room," Tris tells her daughter weakly. She watches her run off, the charm bracelet she wears tinkling every time she moves.

"What did she ask about?" She asks Christina once she's sure her Maggie's back in her own room.

"I asked her what you'd told her and she said you only told her that her dad's somewhere far." There was a pause, an uncomfortable lull before Christina continues, "I told her she has her father's hair and his eyes. I can't say anything else because obviously you haven't told her anything."

Tris hears her sigh heavily on the other end of the line. "I'll tell her soon. I've been intending to..." She trails off asking herself her own questions. She did intend to tell Maggie about Tobias, that's the reason why she handed down the charm bracelet he gave her, a gift on her senior year prom, to their daughter. But what was stopping her? "I just didn't know how and where to start," faking an even tone, she continues her explanation.

"You could start with his name, Tris, It's not like you didn't have a hand in your break up," Christina tells her now also frustrated. Her best friend's words hurt but she can't contradict them because, God, she knows they are true. Christina takes a deep breath; Tris can almost see her shoulders going up a bit with the effort of trying to get as much air into her lungs. "I know it's hard but time is against you. You've got a smart girl and she's bound to ask questions, more questions. And if you don't give her the answers on your own, she'll look for it somewhere else. Bottom line is Maggie will eventually find out. Would you rather she finds out from someone else?"

"Of course not." Tris meant for her answer to sound stronger, instead it comes off as if she's already admitting defeat. "I will tell her, just little by little."

"Then you better work on that," is all Christina tells her before reminding her about their grocery and weekend date on Saturday.

* * *

**A/N** : I may kick myself out for this later but it's been almost three weeks since I last updated FYWB and I feel guilty for the long wait in between chapters. That's just one reason, though. Another reason why I feel half-hearted about posting this chapter is, well, it wasn't how I planned the plot (but really, no plan is ever 100% followed to a T). On my outline, it should have been not longer but different; I planned chapter 3 to be fully from Tobias' eyes but Tris' part just kept coming up and I just had to write it. Reading it for the last 10 times, however, made me feel like it could stand with just these two parts, and I also didn't want to go overboard with giving information, after all, I'm dealing with Marcus in what's supposedly the third act in this chapter.

Anyway, as usual, thank you for reading, for the faves and follows, and most especially for the reviews. It's great incentive to continuing the story. I will apologize in advanced because I can't guarantee a definite time for chapter 4. Work is daunting with all the reorganization we're undergoing.

To the reviewer **_catchingpansycakes_**, the answer to your question will be answered bit by bit so just hold on my dear. =)

I'm on Tumblr guys - herbrightoceaneyes - you can leave me messages, asks or just chat from there. =)


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